Review: Sbrocco (4 stars out of 5, highly recommended)

I can only imagine the dread-inducing, mad-scramble panic created when the owners of the Court avenue wine bar Sbrocco learned of their chef’s decision to leave for another venture.

Chef Andrew Meek is, after all, a James Beard Foundation Award nominee who put Sbrocco on the culinary map with not one but two prestigious nods for its “Best of the Midwest” award. (The James Beard awards are like the Oscars for restaurants). His depar­ture certainly meant losing some or all of that caché, and the question now is, can the next chef get it back?

Last fall, Sbrocco intro­duced the replacement chef, Andrew Newberg, by show­casing his chops — in this case quite literally — during a four-course dinner in the cellar for a few dozen invitees. As we sat in the dimly lit room making small talk with strangers, for we did not know each other, out came crispy appetizers of butternut squash arancini (fried risotto balls) served with a zesty pinot grigio, which was quickly followed by seared scallops with an apple chutney and a sauvignon blanc from Napa Valley.

The main course of roasted pork loin was salty, but that was easily rem­edied with sips from the well-paired DeLoach chardonnay. The side of Brussels sprouts and bacon were tender and tasty.

After dessert — a duo of pumpkin and Bailey’s cheesecakes — the chef introduced himself. An earnest fellow, Newberg told us that he trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and worked locally in catering and at several restaurants, including Baru 66 and Le Jardin, before taking this job. It was an impressive dinner and the chef seemed pleased or relieved, or maybe both.

Recently, I returned to Sbrocco looking for a repeat performance. In fact, it was better.

My wife and I sat in a booth in the main floor dining room, examining the seasonally designed menu and admiring the distinctive beaten metal décor supplied by West End Architectural Salvage.

She ordered a brace of seared, bone-in lamb chops ($26) from Onion Creek Farms near Ames. These tender, medium-rare morsels were served on hearty, tomato-saucy Israeli couscous with a bright, flav­orful medley of broccoli, asparagus, carrots and green beans.

My New York strip steak, ($26), robustly pan-seared to a deep mahogany, was en­han­ced by an earthy truffle butter and a syrupy demi-glace sauce. I normally want condiments with French fried potatoes, but found that the Parmesan-dusted fries on the side where well-served just dipped into the rich steak sauce.

When asked about wine, our waiter had suggested several smart reds, so I decided to throw a corkscrew in his plans and claimed I only drank whites. Without hesitation, he nodded gravely and proffered a glass of Hahn Pinot Gris ($9) that was surprisingly perfect with my steak.

We ended with a decadent molded chocolate mousse ($8) encased in a thin shell of dark chocolate that was sufficiently large for two to share.

Incidentally, there is a bar in the basement you may know about called Shorty’s.

I mention it because Sbrocco and Shorty’s share the same kitchen; both fall under the purview of chef Newberg. It will be interesting to observe what he does there.

The acclaimed Sbrocco menu seems to be in good hands. Although the star chef is gone, his successor seems ready and able to shine in his own right.